Dodgers Win Slugfest in Albuquerque, 12-9

*Oklahoma City Dodgers – 12 *

Albuquerque Isotopes – 9

Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 – Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park – Albuquerque, N.M.

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Dodgers swatted four home runs over four innings and outslugged the Albuquerque Isotopes during a 12-9 win Friday night at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park. The Dodgers (77-62) trailed on three occasions through the first four innings and were down, 4-2, entering the fifth inning. With two runners on base and two outs, Edwin Ríos hit a three-run homer to give their Dodgers their first lead of the night. Devin Mann blasted a two-run homer to center field with two outs in the sixth inning to push the lead to 7-4. Again with two runners on and two outs in the seventh inning, Jake Amaya hit a line-drive home run to left field. The Dodgers hit their fourth homer of the night when Ryan Noda teed off on a two-run shot in the eighth inning, giving the Dodgers a 12-4 lead. The Isotopes (59-78) battled back in the final two innings. Wynton Bernard hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, cutting the Dodgers’ lead in half. Albuquerque scored once more in the ninth inning before OKC wrapped up the win.

Of Note:

-For the first time this month, the Dodgers have won back-to-back games and have evened the current series at 2-2. First-place El Paso defeated third-place Round Rock Friday as well, keeping the Dodgers 1.0 game behind the Chihuahuas for the PCL East Division lead with 11 games remaining this season. Round Rock now sits 3.0 games back of first place and 2.0 games behind the Dodgers for second place.

-The Dodgers piled up 12 runs and 12 hits, giving them 18 runs and 25 hits over the last two games, including six home runs and 10 extra-base hits. The Dodgers have hit 12 home runs over the last five games after they collected just two homers through the first nine games of September. It’s the eighth time this season the Dodgers have hit four or more homers in a game, and the four dingers Friday totaled 10 runs, with all four hit with at least one runner on base.

-Edwin Ríos and Jake Amaya each finished with three hits and three RBI. Ríos went 3-for-5 and tied his season high in hits and RBI while setting a season high with three runs. His three-run homer in the fifth inning put the Dodgers in the lead for good, and it was the 57th home run of his Oklahoma City career, moving him into a tie with Scott Sheldon (1998-99) for second-place all-time on the OKC career home run list during the Bricktown era (since 1998)…Ríos has hit safely in five of his last six games (9-for-24) and in eight of his last 11 games, going 13-for-43 with three doubles, three homers, 11 RBI and four runs scored.

-Jake Amaya reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a walk. He has now hit safely 15 of his last 17 games, going 25-for-60 (.417) with five doubles, a triple, four homers, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored. Over his last nine games, Amaya is 14-for-31 (.452) with five extra-base hits and 10 RBI...He leads OKC with 19 hits so far in September and is tied with Edwin Ríos with a team-high 11 RBI this month.

-Ryan Noda homered in a second consecutive game, marking the second time he’s gone deep in back-to-back games and for the first time since April 10-12. He has set a career high with 81 RBI, surpassing his previous high of 80 RBI with Low-A Lansing during the 2018 season.

-Devin Mann went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk. Mann is 5-for-9 with two homers, a triple, six RBI and six runs scored over his last three starts.

-Starting pitcher Jon Duplantier tossed a season-high 6.0 innings to earn the win. He allowed four runs and seven hits, with two walks and eight strikeouts. Duplantier (5-3) retired seven of the final nine batters he faced and capped his outing with three consecutive strikeouts.

-Friday’s game featured a combined seven home runs for the highest home run total in a game the Dodgers have played in this season. Six of the seven homers were hit with at least one runner on base. Albuquerque hit its 14th grand slam of the season, setting a new Minor League single-season record. It was the fourth grand slam allowed by the Dodgers this year, with two of them by the Isotopes.

What’s Next: The Dodgers and isotopes have a quick turnaround and next play at 1:05 p.m. CT Saturday at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.